Technical Summary 

Elemental focuses on using engineering biology to enhance metal extraction and recovery from mining, urban and nuclear waste through engineered biology processes, including microbes and plants.  

The project includes developing innovations in bioleaching, biorecovery and bioremediation, coupled with underpinning techno economic analyses and lifetime cycle assessments.  

Bioleaching will be tackled though engineering acidophilic bacteria and cyanogenic bacteria to improve their leaching capabilities for metal extraction. The project will use synthetic biology tools to enhance stress resistance and metabolic pathways in biomining microorganisms. 

Metallic biorecovery will be targeted though engineering biology approaches that address the biomineralization of metal particles and the production of metal sulfides, as well as engineering cell surfaces and compartments for metal sorption. Reducing metal usage and waste in industrial biotechnology is of major interest to chemical and biotherapeutic companies. The goal is to decrease the level of metals required in cell culture and fermentation processes, which will be achieved through up and down regulation of metal transporters that still optimize growth for product formation.  

The development of specific and sensitive metal biosensors for detection and response in waste stream is a key objective of the Hub. Engineering biology will be applied to cell biosensors using metal-sensing transcriptional regulators and the development of protein/enzyme-based biosensors.  

For bioremediation, utilising synthetic biology and gene editing techniques for metal solubilization in the rhizosphere, in planta expression of metal-binding proteins, and engineering ferritins for gold and REE accumulation and sensing will be undertaken.  

The main experimental approaches undertaken in the Hub will be complemented by undertaking material flow analysis in environmental sources, developing circular economy strategies, and scaling up bioprocesses.